Auburn getting ready for Treasure Hunt Days

Jon Becker, for the Daily News

Updated
12:47 pm EDT, Monday, April 29, 2019

An annual rite of spring in Auburn, the community-wide yard sale known as Treasure Hunt Days, is back for its 38th consecutive year. More than 50 homes have signed up for the three-day event that takes place from May 16-18, and organizers are promising plenty of surprises for both bargain hunters and treasure seekers.

By officially signing up as a Treasure Hunt participant at JoJo's Refresh Shop, homeowners are listed on a map, "so people know where to find the great sales instead of just driving around," said Lee Kilbourn, Auburn mayor.

For the second year, the Auburn-Williams Lions Club is the event's lead organizer and has added the event to its slate of fundraisers that support the service organization's many charitable activities. Peggy Ruggles, JoJo's owner and manager, said the club took over the event when the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce dissolved; but the Chamber, she added, has recently organized and is becoming active again. The newly revitalized Chamber is working on bringing a new festival, Founders Day, to Auburn in September.

Kilbourn said the Lions Club benefits from the event's registration fee which it, in turn, uses to help people with diabetes and to provide hearing aids and eyeglasses for those who can't afford them.

"Treasure Hunt Days is a great opportunity for Auburn residents to clean out those closets, basements and garages," Kilbourn said. "They always say 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' so you might just have something in your yard or garage that may not be valuable to you anymore but your neighbor down the street may be looking for just that item. You benefit by selling it to them instead of just throwing it away, where it ends up in the landfill -- so it's a good thing for all parties involved."

Treasure Hunt Days is closely associated with the City of Auburn, but Kilbourn and other Auburn leaders always welcome its neighboring community to join in.

"It's for the people in Williams Township as well," he said. "You might not realize that homes in the township are having great sales too, so getting your location on the map is important."

Residents who are listed on the Treasure Hunt map will hold sales for all three days, May 16-18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted.